A lot of
coming, going and gleaning takes place in this action packed chapter.
The root word “glean” appears twelve times. Why is it so
important? Again, the storyteller weaves in the holiness code,
this time Leviticus 19:9 (also Leviticus 23:22 and Deuteronomy
24:19-22):
9And when ye reap the harvest of
your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field,
neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10And thou shalt not glean
thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard;
thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God."
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Again, this involves an act of hesed, since both the poor and the
stranger are unlikely to be in the position of reciprocating the generosity.
1And
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech;
and his name was Boaz.
Marc Chagall: Ruth Meets Boaz
Introducing
Boaz. The name means strength. It is also the name given to the
main pillar in the temple. We learn that he is a man of distinction (ish
hayil), and a kinsman of Elimelech (name meaning God is my King).
2And Ruth
the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears
of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she
said unto her, Go my daughter. 3And she went, and came, and gleaned in the
field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging
unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
In case we forgot, Ruth is a Moabitess. In a delightful turn
of phrase, Eskanazi and Frymer-Kensky describe what is about to unfold as a
combination of chutzpah and hesed. JPS Bible Commentary: Ruth at
xv. Ruth now takes the initiative to get out on her own, to do what those
in need did. She proposes to glean in the field after whomever may allow
her to do so.
The field was a dangerous place for single women, especially a
young single woman, as we no doubt recall from the stories of Dinah and
Tamar. So why does Naomi simply say, breaking her silence to Ruth, “Go my
daughter.”? Does she trust the people of Bethlehem to know the holiness
code and to observe the holiness code, especially because Shavuot is nigh?
Is this the kind of advice mother's should give to daughters?
4And,
behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers, The LORD be
with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee. 5Then said Boaz unto
his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this? 6And
the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the
Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab: 7And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the
reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning
until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
Enter Boaz. His first words are a blessing
to his reapers and their chorus back to him is a blessing in return. This
is the second of the six blessings that punctuate the tale at key points:
2:4, 2:12, 2:19-20; 4:11-12; 4:14). We will count our blessings after the
same fashion that we counted the early returns. Thus continues the
escalation of good feelings and good deeds.
Marc
Chagall: Ruth Meets Boaz
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8Then
said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another
field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens: 9Let
thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after
them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and
when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the
young men have drawn.
Boaz, like Naomi before him, addresses Ruth now as “my
daughter”. This should puzzle and tease us a bit. First, the
expression makes it clear that Boaz is a contemporary of Naomi and old enough
that Ruth could be the same age as his daughter. But then again, she is a
Moabitess and that digs up the relationship between Lot and his
daughters. Where is this going? What are we to make of Boaz's
suggestion to his "daughter" that she drink from the vessels that the
young men have drawn?
Boaz then does something quite generous that goes beyond the
mitzvot of allowing Ruth to glean in his field. He has charged the young
men not to touch her and then – wait a minute! Boaz tells her that, when
she is thirsty, get a drink of that which the young men have drawn. Déjà
vu all over again! This is a sly and subtle variation on the patriarchal
betrothal type-scene, as Robert Alter pointed out in The Art of Biblical
Narrative.
The generosity extended by Boaz also resonates with other
patriarchal acts of hesed, the most notable for present purposes being the
greeting of food and drink that Abraham and Sarah gave to the three angels of
YHWH. I would like to read the story as Abraham and Sarah being the
synecdoche for all of Israel, the bride of YHWH. Genesis 18:1-15.
Except for the passing mention of a little water to wash their feet, however,
the scene is missing any connection to a meeting at the well, which typically
plays a central role in signifying a betrothal. Following that encounter
with they angels, they are promised a son. Also, following that encounter
we have something adequate, but less generous, hospitality provided by Lot to
two of the remaining messengers. And we know Lot’s fate, even though he
did offer to let the good citizens of Sodom and Gemorrah rape his daughters if
they left the angels alone.
Next we have a servant of Abraham going back Haran to find a bride for
Isaac. The test, of course, for a suitable mate involves a meeting at a
well and multiple acts of hesed:
10And the
servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods
of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto
the city of Nahor. 11 And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by
a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go
out to draw water. 12And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I
pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master
Abraham. 13Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the
daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: 14And let it come to
pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee,
that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink
also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy
servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my
master.
15And it
came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who
was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with
her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16And the damsel was very fair to look
upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well,
and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17And the servant ran to meet her, and
said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18And she said,
Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand,
and gave him drink. 19And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will
draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20And she
hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to
draw water, and drew for all his camels. 21And the man wondering at her
held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not.
So what did Rebekah do after being presented with a gold nose ring
and two gold bracelets? The girl ran and told her mother the news.
Genesis 24:28. A further variation on the theme occurs with Jacob and
Rachel. Genesis 29:9. This time Jacob rolls a stone from the mouth
of a well, waters the flock, kisses Rachel, weeps aloud and then, of course, Rachel
ran and told her father Laban the news. Another variation occurs with
Moses and the seven daughters of Jethro. Exodus 2:16-22.
The betrothal type-scene at the well should also be compared and
contrasted with the bloody bride price of foreskins in the rape of Dinah and
the proposed marriage of David to Merab, Saul’s eldest daughter. Is water
turned into blood as we pass from the patriarchs to the monarchy?
The next verses of Ruth reinforce the connection to the patriarchs:
10Then
she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him,
“Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge
of me, seeing I am a stranger? “11And Boaz answered and said unto her,
It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law
since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and
thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou
knewest not heretofore.
Here the
storyteller plays on the similar sounding words “nakar”, meaning take notice,
the first person singular “anoki” and “nokriyah” meaning foreigner. Boaz
likens her journey to that of Abraham and also Rebecca and Rachel by recounting
that she left her father and mother, the land of her nativity and came to a
people that she knewest not heretofore. Genesis 12:1 And
Abraham later journeyed to Egypt when there was a famine in the land, as did
his son Isaac. Genesis12:10 and 26:1 Boaz's observation ties Ruth
to the patriarchs and reveals that he fully appreciates the circumstances that
brought her to his field.
And then he punctuates the summary with a blessing that evokes the
wings of the seraphim atop the ark of the covenant, foreshadowing (prolepsis) a
coming scene on the threshing floor:
12The
LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God
of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
To which Ruth responds and thereby elicits even more generosity in the form
of food
and drink and gleaning well beyond the required amount.
13Then
she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken
friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine
handmaidens.
14And
Boaz said unto her, At mealtime come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip
thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her
parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left. 15And when
she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean
even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: 16And let fall also some of
the handfuls of purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them,
and rebuke her not.
17So she
gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was
about an ephah of barley.
The scene now returns to Bethlehem and Naomi and a review of the
day’s events. Naomi is pleased to see that Ruth did very well in the
field, and punctuates the point by an anonymous blessing of the unknown man who
took knowledge of her. Curiously, the storyteller now refers to Ruth as Naomi’s
daughter-in-law. Does this signify that Boaz has taken over the parental
role by his actions in the field and his reference to her as daughter?
18And she
took it up, and went into the city: and her mother in law saw what she had
gleaned: and she brought forth, and gave to her that she had reserved after she
was sufficed. 19And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to
day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee.
Ruth then reveals his name, and Naomi confers another blessing
and, in her turn, reveals to Ruth that Boaz is a close kinsman.
19And she
shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name
with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20And Naomi said unto her daughter in
law, Blessed be* he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to
the living and to the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of
kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen.
But we need to be reminded that Ruth is a Moabitess, and perhaps
for that reason Naomi offers some pointed advice that runs counter to a
direction Ruth reportedly received from Boaz, namely to keep fast by his young
men.
21And
Ruth the Moabitess said, He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young
men, until they have ended all my harvest. 22And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter
in law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that
they meet thee not in any other field. 23So she kept fast by the maidens of
Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt
with her mother in law.
Even though the narrator refers to Ruth as a daughter-in-law,
Namoi addresses Ruth as her daughter, and tells her to go out with the maidens,
that they meet her not in any other field. Is this a shrewd piece of
advice by the perceptive Naomi designed to keep Ruth unattached from the
younger men so that she may remain available to the older, ish hayil Boaz?
*Italicized words in the KJV reflect certain markings in the Torah
scrolls that indicate emphasis, in keeping with the view that Ruth should be
read aloud in voice, or better yet, acted in order to explore various nuances
of message and character.
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